No indications of extra threats to Geert Wilders, Dutch police say
The Dutch authorities have no indications of an additional threat against Geert Wilders. The police are not investigating any new threats against the PVV leader, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) confirmed to NOS after reports in the Telegraaf.
Wilders suspended his election campaign until further notice on Friday due to a possible threat from Belgium. The Belgian police have two men in custody, arrested last week, on suspicion of attempted terrorist assassination of the Belgian Prime Minister. Wilders was reportedly also on their list of targets.
The PVV leader said on X that the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV) confirmed to him that he was on the list. The NCTV does not expect a “residual threat” now that the suspects are in custody, Wilders said.
Due to the reported threat, Wilders withdrew from the NOS election debate on NPO Radio 1 last week and the televised debate on RTL on Sunday. According to NOS, he also rejected alternatives such as participating by phone or video.
It is unclear when Wilders will relaunch the PVV’s election campaign and whether he will participate in upcoming debates. A SBS debate is scheduled for October 23, and NOS will host several debates on October 28, the day before the election.
